Tube-cleaner



(No Model.)

W. H. WHEELER. TUBE CLEANER.

110.415,306. Patented 'Nov'. 19, 1889.

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NrrEn TATES WILLIAM Il. \VIIEELER,

OF CLEVELAND, OlIIO.

TUBE-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part ot' Letters Patent No. 415,806, dated November 19, 1889.

Application filed March 30, 1889.

To @ZZ whom 13' may concern:

'Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. WHEELER, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and Sta-te of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tube-Cleaners; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of my invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the class of tubecleaners in which steam is blown through the boiler-tubes to clean them o'i' soot and aecu mulated dirt. In tube-cleaners of this class heretofore in use the steam-valve is kept closed by the steam-pressure acting on the rear of the valve, and, as a high pressure of steam is required to thoroughly and quickly clean the tube through which it is blown, the force required to open the valve is considerable, and that required to hold the cleanerin contact with the tube during the operation is greater, owing to the back-pressure of the emitted steam. In the case of very foul or dirty tubes the labor required to clean them is much increased and the liability to the blowing back of soot and dirt is very great in consequence of the increasedresistance, and in any case the labor of cleaning the tubes is severe when operating against the pressure of the steam, as may be well understood when it is considered that the number of tubes to be cleaned may amount to Vfrom thirty to sixty or even ninety in a single boiler.

The object of my invention is to lighten the labor required to operate such tube-cleaners, and at the same time to afford complete and easy control of the apparatus and of the jet of steam emitted, which I accomplish by employing a steam-balanced valve-that is, a valve on which the steam does not exert any pressure to keep it closed or to oppose its opening, and Idischarge the steam in a diverging direction and in an annular jet, which strikes sharply against the walls of the tube and is reflected from side to side, cutting away all adhering soot or dirt.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of the top or front end of my improved device. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section of the device on the line c yy of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detached view of the valve and valve- Serial No. 305,391. (No model.)

chamber with a portion broken away to show the relation of parts when the valve is open. rl`he arrows indicate the course of the steam.

A represents the body' or shell, having at its front end'a conical or flaring outlet a, outside ot' which the front of the shell expands laterally in a flange or shoulder g, ior a purpose to be presently described. WVithin the shell and near its central part is a diaphragm or contraction of the internal diameter of the shell, and in or immediately back of this diaphragm is secured the front end of the valve-chamber O, which is of a diameter enough smaller than that of the shell to afford a steam-space surrounding the valvechamber, and this steam-space E should be of a capacity equal to that of the supply-pipe by which the apparatus is connected with the boiler, in order to secure the most copious emission of steam. The valve-chamber C has steam-ports c in the front portion of its side walls and is open at its front end, communieating thereby with the outlet d.

A conical plug B, centrally perforated, is affixed in the Haring mout-h of the shell A, thus reducing the outlet d to a narrow annular opening widest within and having a divergent direction to expand the emitted jet of steam. The plug B is supported in the mouth ofthe shell by equidistant points of support as few and as small as possible, in order to obstruct the issuing-jet of steam as little as possible. The plug B may be integral with the shell A, but is preferably formed separate.

A steam-valve D is fitted in the valve-chainber C so as to move steam-tight therein, and is preferably seated against the inside of the front wall of the valve-chamber, with its seat in a line with or slightly back of the front line of the ports c, the valve extending back far enough to close the ports and prevent steam from entering the valve-chamber behind the valve. The seating of the'valve in the front of the valve-chamber may be dispensed with and the sliding of the Valve on the port c relied on, in which case a simple stop on the inside of chamber C to limit the forward movement of the valve will be sutt`1- cient. A spring f holds the valve against its seat in ordinary use. The stem of the valve D IOO extends forward through the open front of the Valve-chamber and through the lcentral perforation of plug B, extending' a short distance in front.' To the end of the valveystem is secured a conical or convex spider or skeleton head L, which extends beyond the periphery of the flange g and is provided with a rim which bears upon the flange or front of the shell when the valve is depressed to the full extent. The conical spider is inserted in the end of the tube to be cleaned and closes the end thereof, and when the cleaner is pushed forward to open the valve the front end or flange g of the shell, by being brought in close contact with the rim of the spider L, closes the tube and prevents any blowing back of the steam. I prefer to form the shoulder or llange g with a beveled face m, and to form a corresponding beveled face Z on the under side of the rim of`spider L to insure a steamtight joint between the flange and spider when forced into contact. An ordinary coupling connects the shell A with a steam-supply pipe 7i, by which connection is made with the boiler in the usual way.

By the construction above described the valve D is relieved of steam-pressure and the only force required to operate the apparatus is that required to .overcome the friction of the valve in its chamber and the resistance of the spring f, which requires but little effort, and the conical shape of the spider and of the seat between its rim and the flange ofthe shell insures a steam-tight connection with the tube to be cleaned with the exertion of but slight force.

In case the springf should by long use become too weak to keep the valve D closed, a minute steam-port 0 may be formed in the rear Wall of the valve-chamber, which by the admission of steam wire-drawn to a slight pressure will supplement the spring and en-4 able it to keep the valve closed, and this small port may, if desired, be formed in the valvechamber in the first place and closed by a pin or plug .until it may be necessary to use it, if at all.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is l. A tube-cleaner composed of an inclosin gshell having an annular divergent outlet, a

balanced spring-valve inclosed within said shell and having its stein projecting anteriorly, and a spider or skeleton head centrally attached to said valve-stem and adapted to bear against said shell when said valve 1s open, substantially as described.

2Q In a tube-cleaner, the combination of the shell with central constriction or diaphragm and annular divergent outlet, a valve-chainber rigidly affixed within the shell and surrounded by a steam chamber behind said diaphragm, said valve-chamber having steamports in the forward portion of its side walls, a spring-actuated valve within said valvechamber having its stem prolonged anteriorly beyond the outlet of the shell, and a spider or skeleton head centrally secured to the valve-stem and extending laterally beyond the periphery of said shell, and adapted to bear upon said shell when the valve is open, substantially as described.

3. In a tube-cleaner, the combination of the shell A, having annular divergent outlet a and steam-chamber E, the valve-chamber C, secured in said shell and projecting into said steam-chamber and having steam-ports in the forward portion of its side walls, and thel spring-actuated valve D, inclosed in said valve-chamber, tting steam-tight upon said steam-ports, and having its stem extending vforward and bearing the skeleton head L, se-

cured to said valve-stem and adapted to bear upon the shell when said valve is open, substantially as described.

4. In combination with the shell A, having annular divergent outlet and a peripheral flange g, the valve-chamber C, secured in said shell by its forward end and having lateral steanrports c, and the valve D, fitting the interior of said'chamber and closing said steamports, and the spring f, for actuating said valve, the stem of said valve extending forward and bearing the conical vor convex spider L, adapted to bear upon said flange when the valve is open, substantially as described.

Witness my hand, at Cleveland, Ohio, this 7th day of March, A. D. 1889.

W. H. INHEELER.

Witnesses:

A. C. WATERS,

G. TAYLOR. 

